Homeward Bound
by EbonyEye
Summary: He comes back, in the dead of the night, planning to simply slip away once more. But she had enough of it. It was time for Uchiha Sasuke to come back home. Oneshot, Canon, SasuSaku. **Chapter 700 Spoilers!** COMPLETE. Enjoy!


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**Homeward Bound**

©EbonyEye

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_Home_

_Where my love lies_

_Waiting silently for me…_

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It was dark as he stepped through the looming gates of Konoha. Of course it was. He only returned under cover of darkness, his steps silent and his face hidden deep in the shadow of his cowl. The guards on duty, one of them he recognized as Moegi, nodded at him in brief, mute salutes as they watched him trudge through the dark village.

He couldn't remember the last time he had set foot in Konoha, although he vaguely recalled seeing yellow and red leaves adorning the trees of the Leaf Village. Now, as he glanced around the quiet, slumbering buildings, he could see new shoots and greens growing, their buds tightly curled and just waiting to burst open.

_'Hn… It's almost Spring…'_

Uchiha Sasuke was one of Konoha's infamous shinobi, on par with its Shichidaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Legendary in his own right, he was looked upon with fear and awe. Yet unlike his sunny counterpart, Sasuke, fully matured at the age of 26, shunned attention and spent most of days far, far away from his home village.

His feet seemed to have a life of their own as they traced the familiar path through the streets, the only path he ever took apart from the one leading towards the Hokage Tower. He had no need to linger in Konoha other than reporting to the Shichidaime. No need other than…

He stopped abruptly, his head turning sharply to regard the shadowy recesses between two houses with piercing intensity. Red flashed as his mismatched eyes whirled to life, glaring into the dark.

"You should not be out here… Sarada."

For a moment, he thought she would ignore him. But then, the faintest movement in the dark whispered over the ground and a small, thin girl hesitantly crept from the shadows. Fearfully, she turned her face up towards his, her bespectacled eyes wide.

Sasuke released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Silently, he stared down at his daughter, wordlessly commanding her to explain herself.

She caught on, shrinking beneath his penetrating gaze.

"F-Father," she quavered, before shaking herself and continuing in a steadier, yet still small, voice.

"Naruto-sama said he could feel you coming… So I waited up for you." She looked up at her father, swallowing nervously when his stony expression didn't waver. Anxiously, she began to babble.

"Mama wasn't so happy about me waiting, so I-I snuck out as soon as she went to bed. I didn't mean to be bad, honestly! I just haven't seen you since last year and Mama wouldn't say anything, a-and—" She broke off as Sasuke took a step forward, looming over her, one hand reaching out towards her. In the dark, he looked more frightening than she could ever remember seeing him, his Sharingan and Rin'negan glowing in the cold light of the moon. Cringing, she shut her eyes tight, hunching her shoulders.

A gentle touch on top of her head nearly caused her to jump out of her skin.

"Sarada," her father's deep voice rumbled, "Let's go inside."

Glancing up, she nodded vigorously, her knees still trembling. She tripped over her own feet as she whirled around, scrambling to the door of the neighboring house. The door swung open silently and she stepped into the hallway, automatically toeing off her sandals at the threshold. She turned to watch her father copy her movements, albeit silently and by far more gracefully. He straightened to his full height, approaching her once more. She braced herself, ready for the scolding she was sure she would receive.

"It's late. Sleep."

Surprised once again, Sarada could only stare at his unreadable gaze dumbly before blinking rapidly.

"H-Hai." Not waiting for him to change his mind, she scurried up the staircase to the left, disappearing into the second floor.

Sasuke waited until he heard her bedroom door click shut before exhaling rather loudly. Barefooted, he padded down the hallway, intent on reaching the closed door at the end. The doorknob was cool and smooth in his calloused palm as he turned it and noiselessly entered the dark room beyond.

His breath caught, and suddenly, his heart ached within his chest.

She was beautiful.

Haruno Sakura, his teammate, his lover, his… what? His what? Something akin to guilt lodged in his chest as he gaze trailed down her slender left hand, splayed over the covers, pale and noticeably ring-less under the moonlight filtering in through the window. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful creature in the world. Sometimes, he just couldn't comprehend how so much love could be bundled up in such a petite woman.

He blinked. Without realizing it, he had drifted forwards until he was hovering over her, the tips of his lengthy, unruly dark hair tickling her cheek. Her face was turned slightly to the side, her long pink mane spread carelessly over her pillow. One hand rested half-curled next to her head, the other stretched out almost pleadingly towards the empty side of the mattress.

His stomach clenched and he moved back, stripping off his cloak, satchel and finally his shirt as well. Clad only in his dark nin-pants, he moved around the bed to the unoccupied side.

Just before he climbed beneath the blankets, he hesitated. A split second, and Uchiha Sasuke hesitated. His mind whirred with uncertainty, wondering if he would be welcome at all after being gone for so long… again.

Steeling his resolve, he slipped between the sheets into a comforting cocoon of body warmth. Her body warmth. The mattress dipped and tilted with his movements as he shifted with care, hesitantly reaching out to wrap his arms around the sleeping woman.

She stirred. Of course she would. One green eye cracked open sleepily, long lashes fluttering as she blinked slowly once, twice. Her gaze cleared upon seeing him.

"Sasuke."

She didn't squeal as she used to back in the days of Team 7's birth. Her voice was calm, content. He simply pulled her closer in response.

"I'm back."

She turned in his embrace, staring into his face.

"You mean 'I'm home'," she corrected quietly. There was no accusation in her tone, just a sad longing. His lips thinned as he broke eye contact and looked away.

"I ran into Sarada outside."

Sakura sighed. Gently pulling away from him, she sat up in bed, looking more worn and frail than she should at 27 years of age.

"She misses you," she whispered, gaze focused straight ahead. Hearing no response from Sasuke, she continued tiredly, "She's always asking about you… How you are, what you're like… And sometimes, I don't know what to say." Propping her chin up on one hand, she sighed and muttered:

"She's not entirely happy, and it makes me feel like I'm failing as a mother."

Sasuke sat up as well, his broad shoulders dwarfing hers as he settled his chin on her shoulder, nuzzling into her hair. She leaned into his embrace with a barely audible gasp, drinking in his affectionate gesture eagerly.

"You are not a failure." His deep voice was sure.

She blinked to keep the tears at bay that were beading in her eyes.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it, Sasuke," she murmured. Green eyes tinged with gold stared into deepest onyx as she whispered:

"Will you stay?"

He didn't respond, and she went on in a heavy voice:

"I ask this every time you come back. And you always answer the same way. 'Soon,' you say… 'Soon I'll be back for good. But not yet. I'm still… looking for something.' Isn't that so, Sasuke?"

He could now clearly see the tears forming.

"Why?" she demanded, her voice hitching. "Why can't you stay? What are you looking for? Why can't I help. I'm not a young girl anymore. I'm not even a teenager. What is keeping you from finally – _finally_ – being at peace?"

In the dark of their bedroom, Sasuke gazed at the young woman at his side. He was conflicted, his mind warring with his heart, yet he didn't let even the barest hint of his internal struggle show on his handsome face. He felt one of her delicate hands touch his cheek, running the tip of a finger along the lines forming under his eyes.

"You're exhausted," she said in a hushed voice, "You need rest… And not just the physical kind, Sasuke. You're tired to the bone."

He didn't deny it, simply choosing to say:

"I will always come back."

"_Home_," she stressed again, insistently, "This is your home." Again, she touched his face, gently, tentatively. "And yes, I know. I promised I'd always wait for you, didn't I?" He nodded, remembering. "Well, I have something to say to you."

She twisted away, settling in front of him and facing him, staring him in the eye.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I have been waiting for ten years," she intoned firmly, "And while I love you with all my heart, this has to stop."

"What has to stop?" he asked in a low voice, his voice unintentionally sharp. Her brows knitted together, creasing her still slightly large forehead, and she answered:

"This running away. In ten years, I don't think you haven't found the answers to your questions during your travels. You lost the look of desperation on your face long ago. You are not lost anymore – you have a home. A home that is still waiting for you." His gaze followed her left hand as she lifted it up, placing it over his heart.

"I am glad you came back to Konoha," she said, "But every time you leave, you leave me hanging. And not just me – Sarada too. Last time, you mentioned how much it bothered you that she only addresses you formally as 'Father' and 'Otou-sama'. She wouldn't, if you would just stay home more. She's a growing child – you will never see these stages of her life again. Do you really want to miss out on that?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, catching on to her bartering tone.

"Sakura, just say it," he rumbled. "What do you want?"

She squared her shoulders.

"Marry me."

And as he stared at her in that moment, straight-backed, determined, and yet with a tinge of fear, awaiting his answer, he knew he couldn't resist any longer.

"Sakura…" He saw her prepare herself for rejection and plowed onwards.

"Are you sure?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"What? Sasuke, am _I_ sure? Of course I am! It's you who's always backing out."

A rough hand grasped hers as he grunted an affirmative, muttering:

"I don't want you to be unhappy. I don't want you to change your mind and regret… me."

"S-Sasuke!"

Sakura lunged forward, tackling him in a tight hug and knocking him flat on his back onto the bed. Even with his lightning reflexes, he was unprepared for the shower of kisses she rained down on his face.

"You're so stupid," she whispered between kisses, "Thank you so much."

She was the only woman who could get away with calling him stupid, he decided. Turning his face so that he caught her lips in a brief, sweet kiss, he told her the same thing he told Sarada.

"It's late. Sleep."

She measured him with her gaze, and he noted the slight tension in her body. Pulling her close, he promised:

"I will be here when you wake up."

Green eyes shone hopefully.

"Will you be here the next time I wake up…? And the next, and the next?"

He pressed a slow kiss on her temple, his lips lingering.

"Aa. I will."

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**A/N**

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**I. AM. ALIVE.**

…

… And royally pissed with the Manga ending. I can't believe it! How could Kishimoto give such an awesome series such a half-assed end?! Granted, yes, I am happy with the SasuSaku hints (squeeeee!), but _come on!_ He skipped the most interesting parts! Sasuke's reinstatement. The five Hidden Villages' development. The new Kages. Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura and Sasuke. _Everything!_

Okay, rant over. Now to the next annoyance: Me.

I can picture you all raining virtual blows down on my head. _"EbonyEye!"_ you scream, _"Where the hell have you been for a year?! What about Cherry Bridge?! And the Lady Kickboxer?!"_

Um, yes.

It may seem like I have abandoned them. But please, _trust me_, I have not. And I won't. In my defense, I've been busy and the canon Manga has been pissing me off for the last few hundred chapters or so… Yeah. I will get back to working on my other fanfictions (most of all Cherry Bridge), but in the meantime, I couldn't hold back my response to Chapter 700. Sasuke is _so_ not going leave Sakura to raising their daughter alone, that lazy jerk! MARRY HER AND STAY WITH THEM BOTH, YOU ASSHOLE. Get it right, geez!

Oh. Um, review? Love love love love love! (I understand if you chose not to because I've been missing for so long… *cries*)

Ja ne!

EbonyEye

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